


Devour

by skzpresso



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Graphic Description, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Funerals, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unhappy Ending, Unrequited Love, this is not a happy fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:09:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skzpresso/pseuds/skzpresso
Summary: Jeongin was banished from his place among the fae, for he committed the ultimate act of betrayal; he fell in love with a human. The punishment one received for that was gruesome and unforgiving. If a fae fell in love with a human, they were cursed only to be satiated by human flesh and meat. Jeongin fell in love once and vowed never to do it again.However, Changbin entered his life and made it awfully difficult to keep his resolve. Jeongin knows he has to flee again, but he's concerned he may not flee fast enough.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Seo Changbin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Kudos: 4
Collections: AGIBBANG FEST





	Devour

**Author's Note:**

> I chose prompt #0045 for this fest, and went as dark as I could. I've never written something like this before, but I need you to understand, this fic is not happy in the slightest. Please click off if death, graphic descriptions of cannibalism, unrequited love, and more bother you. Please let me know if any additional tags need to be added, I can only think of the most important ones. There were a lot of stylistic liberties taken, so some grammar may be a bit off in some places but hopefully not enough to disturb the flow of reading.
> 
> Prompter of #0045, I hope this isn't too far off from what you originally wanted. If it is, I apologize. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this to some extent.

**_Sur_ _viving._ **

Bitterly cold and crisp air only heightens the coolness he always endures. Once he was cast away after falling in love with a human, he could never feel the same type of warmth again. Falling in love with another species was the ultimate act of betrayal.

A fae wasn’t allowed a happy ending with anyone outside of their species. If they tried, they would be cursed by the Supreme Fae. The curse was something a fae never wanted to face, and it usually led to a painful death. 

They would be forced to feed off the kind they fell in love with. 

And for Jeongin, he fell in love with a human. So now, he was stuck feasting on humans to survive. Nothing would satiate him in the same way fresh blood, flesh, and meat would. 

He hated it. Felt sick to his stomach every time he had to kill and eat his meals. He would become close to starving before he let himself feed. 

Here he was, picking at the remains of the pretty girl who was unlucky to be walking home alone tonight. 

White, blonde hair with pastel rainbow streaks caught his attention. She was _pretty._ He tracked her down a few blocks before he was able to break her neck silently and drag her off into a dark alleyway. 

The once silky straight hair began to mat up with blood, but Jeongin could do nothing about it. He would’ve liked to let some beauty remain, but due to the blood under his fingernails, he couldn’t.

Maintenance was always a pain. He considered starving to death or engorging himself on copious amounts of human remains in hopes of getting poisoned, but he’s scared. Jeongin couldn’t have blood under his fingernails without raising suspicion. He frequently had to floss between meals in hopes that he could get rid of the slowly decaying flesh that would occasionally get stuck in his teeth. 

Jeongin looked down at the girl he had been picking at for the past several minutes. She’s unrecognizable now. Her face is shredded from Jeongin tearing at it. He despised being able to see he was devouring a human. An innocent human who had nothing to do with his curse led to another grim fate because of him.

Her body was mostly deformed. After tearing through the multiple ligaments, it was easy to rip the body apart from its joints. The alleyway was silent apart from the squelching and dull popping that could be heard when Jeongin would rip her fingers off one by one to eat—no screaming, no breathing, _nothing._

Jeongin knew he didn’t have much time before he could get caught, and the woman he had chosen was very petite anyway, so he finished quickly and made his way back into the woods. 

He ripped off some extra chunks of flesh from her thighs to put into a small opaque box that he left here during a previous visit so he could eat later as well. She was too tender to waste. She just had to be active to be this lean and easy to feast on.

**_Breathing._ **

Changbin whistled to himself as he roamed the lowly lit roads back to his shared apartment with his best friend, Jisung. The melody of a catchy nursery rhyme was something to drown out the silence with before it became unbearable. 

The silence was much louder than he liked it to be, even more so since it felt like someone's eyes were watching his every move. If he stared down an alleyway for too long, he believed he could see eyes peering back at him from the dark abyss from the other end. 

Walking faster wasn’t an option, as he might appear suspicious if there happened to be any crime in the area. It wasn’t particularly unsafe where he lived, but that didn’t mean it was crime-free. He saw a person slightly taller than him come out of an alleyway a few meters up, and he looked _off_. 

Changbin could say he looked _wet._ His clothes hung off his body as dark, and thick liquid dripped from his hair, clothes, and fingers. Everything in Changbin’s being told him to run, but the person walked across the deserted road with ease. 

In a stiff motion, the person stopped and looked at Changbin. It felt just like the eyes following him around in the dark alleyway a few moments before. He froze under his stare and was terrified. Changbin knew there was nothing he could do in this situation. He was too petrified to move.

It wasn’t long before the person turned around and disappeared into another alleyway. 

Changbin wondered if it was luck that a vehicle did not come down the road while they were stuck staring at Changbin.

When Changbin regained feeling in his body, his heart was hammering in his chest, if the dull pounding in his ears was anything to go by. Monotonous but rapid rhythms pulsed against his skull; he couldn’t linger around any longer without worrying for his safety. 

He sent Jisung a text to tell him he’s only a few minutes away. Changbin hoped to get there before his heart cracked out of his chest.

The rest of his walk was filled with stifled breaths, shaking vision, and stuttering steps. The person he had seen earlier shook him to his core, but he was slightly worried about the person.

There was a chance the person survived an attack, assisted an attack, or was an attacker. Changbin wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was attacked, but he couldn’t be sure.

Upon entering his apartment, Jisung was patiently awaiting Changbin’s arrival while stretched out across the couch. A laptop sat in his lap as he sipped on a hot cup of coffee; Jisung didn’t drink any other hot drinks even in this cooler weather. As much as Jisung liked sweets, Changbin was shocked to learn that Jisung didn’t like hot chocolate. Their grocery bill seemed to creep up higher each month as Jisung sought to fuel his caffeine addiction.

He looked up at Changbin with a small smile, acknowledging his presence briefly before turning his attention back onto the bright screen in front of him. Changbin could see the reflection of an animated film in his glasses. It was probably one he had seen a million times if that was the case. 

Changbin wordlessly dipped off towards his bathroom to shower off the uncomfortable gaze from earlier and hopefully sleep without the alley eyes peering at him in his dreams.

**_Ruining._ **

Jeongin hated a struggle. No one liked to fight their food, and Jeongin _surely_ didn’t want to fight his. 

He had attempted to snap the man’s neck from behind as he usually would, but Jeongin sneezed and gave himself away. The man immediately tried to run away from Jeongin after seeing how close he was, and Jeongin panicked. 

There weren’t any other humans close by, and he had been starving for weeks now. He was already growing slower and weaker. He knew he needed to eat. The thoughts of food and warmth consumed his mind after he had lost too much weight. 

He managed to get the man into an alleyway with him and boldly bit his neck when he got close enough. He’s never eaten someone while they were alive before. He’ll do what he has to do. 

A garbled scream ripped from the man’s throat before he shoved Jeongin off with all his power. The large bite Jeongin was able to get helped immensely. There was a large chunk of skin and flesh missing from the stretch in his neck and shoulder.

The man stumbled away from Jeongin, walking out the backside of the alleyway. He may die; he may not. Jeongin doesn’t care; he won’t do him any good now. The wound would become infected in no time, and he doesn’t feast on anyone who smells of illness or disease. 

Some may be serious enough that they could be on their way out sooner than later. He doesn’t want to end someone’s life when they know they could be living their final days anyway. That’s not for him to handle. His curse isn’t meant to be merciful.

He carelessly walked back to the front of the alleyway of which he entered. Jeongin collided with another person much sooner than he would’ve liked. 

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t-” The man voiced, but his own gasp cut him off. “-Is that blood? Are you okay?”

Jeongin wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He looked up at the man before him. He was on the shorter side but easily had twice the muscle mass that Jeongin did. Angular eyes and furrowed eyebrows analyzed him from head to toe. The man even reached out to check some of the worst blood spatters by tilting his head.

“Should I take you to the hospital?”  
  


“I’m just gonna go home,” Jeongin murmured. It didn’t please the man before him, but he _couldn’t_ go to the hospital. It would lead to a blood test, and then it would match with the man that was most likely dying alone in the cold. He’d prefer _not_ to get arrested. 

“Can I at least walk you home?” Jeongin sighed but nodded anyway. “What’s your name?”  
  


“Jeongin. Yours?” 

“Oh, I’m Changbin.” He said with a broad smile. Changbin’s cheeks grew rounder when a smile was present, and it was slightly endearing. It would’ve been more endearing had Jeongin not been so hungry. 

He wanted to get Changbin out of his hair as quickly as possible. Jeongin needed to eat and do so soon _._

  
  


**_Meeting._ **

The cafe had a quiet hum whenever Changbin came through the door. A shrill chime came from the bell rigged to ring when it opened and caught the barista’s attention. 

“Welcome to Glimmer Rocks! What can I get for you today?” The woman was cheerful, and it seemed genuine. Her bubbly attitude could’ve been annoying had Changbin been in a bad mood, however.

“A medium iced caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso, please.” Changbin’s order was simple but still had an extra kick. The studying was going to kick his ass. 

“Is that all?” She smacked her bubble gum loudly when she looked up at Changbin. She flashed a quick smile his way; her canines seemed to be super long, but people did get veneers to extend them all the time. “Three dollars and forty cents, then!” 

Changbin handed over the money and shoved an extra five-dollar bill into the tip jar as well. He doesn’t see this being the last drink he orders, so he wanted to tip for taking up some extra time. 

He scanned the small cafe for the table containing the people he wanted to see. Jisung, Ryujin, and Jinsoul were all occupying a table in front of a window. His mind eased, knowing they were already here and that he wouldn’t have to wait on his own. 

“Here’s your drink!” The barista said, once more flashing her long canines when she shot him a smile. 

He felt slightly unsettled after seeing her teeth clearly, but he shoved that thought off to the side so he could join his friends. 

“Greetings,” Jinsoul drew out the last syllable and patted the seat next to her. “We were beginning to wonder if you were going to show up.”

Changbin noticed Ryujin’s dark mood immediately. Her eyes were puffy and red, tear stains clouding her clear skin. 

“Jin?” Changbin whispered, taking her hand within his own over the table. She didn’t bother to look up, but she did hum in acknowledgment. “Are you okay?”

“We can talk about that later.” She choked out. 

Changbin looked over to Jinsoul again, and a nod was all he needed to drop the topic for now. He looked up towards Jisung and was somewhat surprised to see the younger already looking back at him. 

“Some tension in the air, I see,” Jinsoul teased quietly. A melodic giggle escaped her throat before she decided to take a sip of her coffee. It seemed to be a simple iced black coffee. 

“Shut it!” Jisung’s cheeks tinted to a peachy shade of pink. Changbin wondered why.

“So guess what I’ve been studying for the next meeting with my coven,” Jinsoul had a cat-like smile grace her face. “Fae creatures.”

“Do they even exist?” Jisung sighed. “Your witchy stuff scares me a bit, not gonna lie.” 

“I’m a white witch in training, don’t worry. I don’t practice any black magic, but I must study it to ensure I can take preventative measures against it.” Jinsoul explained. She had a very soothing voice to listen to. “White witches are selfless and often healers or protectors. It’s what I enjoy most about the practice; keeping the ones I love safe, that is.”

“Give us a run down then,” Changbin encouraged since Ryujin still seemed to be dissociated from reality.

“Fae tend to thrive in nature or the elements at least. Usually in small groups too. However, the interesting facts begin only after a fae has been banished from their land.” Jinsoul leaned into the group with a cheeky smile. 

“They say falling in love with another species is against the rules for faes, but humans are the worst. They see humans as a hindrance to their land, and honestly, we are. Think of all the deforestation and drilling Earth Fae must deal with? Sad, truly. With Earth Fae, come other elemental fae. If you think about it, it’s rather simple to uncover what a certain elemental fae may deal with.” 

Changbin could see her point. The plastic and trash in the water must be horrific for Water Fae, and the air has become more polluted over time due to machinery, and the Air Fae must live through it. Before he could continue thinking, Jinsoul continued.

“If a fae falls in love with a human, the general punishment is making the banished fae feast only upon humans. A curse is placed over them that only allows them to reach satiety through human blood, flesh, and muscle.” Jisung visibly shivered at the statement, but the words caught Ryujin’s attention.

“Do you know how a fae may go about eating a human?” Ryujin suddenly had a spark of energy. 

“Well, a humanoid fae tends to have sharp but small claws, so they may just tear at their victim to get what they want. They don’t have to use any weapons. They probably won’t leave behind any DNA, though. Something about the chemical balance in their skin makes them untraceable to human resources.”

“It makes no fucking sense, but I think a fae ate my sister. Why else would she look the way she did? But why _her_?” Ryujin said. Jinsoul dropped the pen she was fiddling with suddenly, her eyes wide open. “My sister is dead. I had to identify Yeji, and she was nothing but fucking bone and shredded skin or muscle. I was the only blood relative to her, so I had to make the identification.”

“Hold on, Yeji’s _dead_?” Jisung shuddered after Ryujin confirmed.

“And you think a fae did it?” Changbin still wasn’t buying the fae nonsense, but if Ryujin thinks it could be true, he’ll at least listen. Considering the state of Yeji when Ryujin identified her, maybe it wasn’t that far-fetched.

“Could you describe the state of her body a bit more? Like, was she, I can’t think of a better word, _fresh_?” Jinsoul looked a bit sheepish in asking the deranged question. Ryujin visibly choked. 

“Uh, not really? They said she hadn’t been dead for any longer than a few weeks,” Ryujin started sniffling and rubbing the tears from her eyes. “Yeji was dismembered a bit? They said that enough muscle was gone that the ligaments were weak, and the killer removed a lot of her fingers.”

“Oh my god,” Jisung placed a hand over his mouth. He looked pale as he tried to soothe Ryujin by rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades.

Changbin isn’t sure when it will settle in that Yeji was gone. Through Ryujin, she was a great friend. He could only imagine how Ryujin was feeling.

“Hm, some dark fae will starve for weeks before hunting again. There’s a chance the fae ate recently.” 

“I did see a guy come out of an alleyway covered in blood the other day,” Changbin said without much thought. 

“You what?” Jinsoul hissed. “Don’t tell me you approached him?”

“Hah, about that,” Changbin ducked from the onslaught of slaps coming from a genuinely pissed-off Jinsoul. 

“I haven’t placed any protection over you recently, and you could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Jinsoul fumbled around in her purse again, looking for something. “Take this necklace and wear it. Do you understand?”

Changbin wasn’t going to question a pissed witch. He took the necklace that Jinsoul shoved into his chest and tucked it away in his pocket. It would probably benefit him to wear it. However, he knows it may just live on his desk at home.

“Please be careful, Changbin,” Jisung begged quietly. “Sometimes it’s best not to get involved.”

Changbin doesn’t miss the pleading look in all of their eyes, and maybe he should listen to them for once. 

Maybe.

**_Bonding._ **

“How did you get my number?” Jeongin asked blankly upon meeting Changbin at a diner. He didn’t bother to ask the other man over text. Changbin had left him a short voicemail to meet at the restaurant for lunch the weekend following their encounter.

“That night, we met? You put your number in my phone when I dropped you off at home? Do you not remember that?” Changbin couldn’t believe how something like that could slip his mind. 

“I don’t remember much from that night if I’m honest. I’m sorry for scaring you that night.” Jeongin genuinely _was_ sorry for potentially scaring him for life. Seeing someone covered in blood is not ideal. 

Jeongin settled on breaking into some random person’s home. Much to his luck, only one person was home. He was able to feast on someone quickly and easily. He felt a bit bad for taking a shower and then stealing some clothes, but it had been a while since he could enjoy such comfortable commodities.

“How long have you been around here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before the time we met.” Changbin sipped at the milkshake he ordered. It was unusual not to have seen someone in this area before. It was a small area and relatively low in population. Any new people around were eyed with suspicion.

“Ah,” Jeongin sighed. He was uncomfortable under Changbin’s gaze. “Maybe a month or two? I haven’t been around here long, but I don’t remember when I started coming around here.”

“Coming around? So you don’t live here? I walked you home the other day, though.” Changbin’s questions were burning Jeongin’s consciousness. How was he supposed to tell the older man the truth? 

“You did walk me home! I just- I don’t- I kind of keep to myself. I live with my friends and alternate where I stay,” Jeongin’s heart rate spiked. There was no way that Changbin believed him, but he decided to drop the topic. 

Jeongin wasn’t sure if he was thankful for that or not. He would have liked to remove himself from the current situation, but Changbin didn’t intend to leave soon. 

That didn’t bode well for Jeongin.

“Ok, I’ll leave that alone for now,” Changbin said as he ran his fingers through his hair, a soft sigh spilling past his lips. “I do have an unrelated question, though.”

“Ask away.”

“Are you interested in going on a date with me?” Changbin asked. He wasn’t going to tell Jeongin that his hands were sweating or that all he could hear was his pulse. It wasn’t every day; he was sitting across a man as beautiful as Jeongin.

“Are you sure?” Jeongin didn’t think Changbin would be so quick to trust. But it’s just one date, so Jeongin wasn’t getting his hopes up.

“Of course! We can discuss more of the details later on. For now, I’d like to hear more about you.”

Jeongin’s hope plummeted. To keep Changbin around, everything he’d have to tell Changbin would be a lie to some extent. 

To keep his story straight, he told Changbin the same facts and stories he told Seungmin before what little humanity he had was ripped away from him. 

Falling in love with Seungmin, a human, was the biggest mistake he’d ever made. 

He won’t do it twice.

**_Ending._ **

Jeongin led an honest life as a fae. He was an Earth Fae, to be exact. He nurtured and took care of the forest he was raised in, and in return, the forest took care of him. Jeongin was one of the hardest working faes in his area; it was just part of his passion. He loved the forest and the people within it. 

Jeongin was allowed to leave the forest upon becoming an adult. He was allowed to interact with humans and take part in mundane things that he wanted to experience. He was expected to come back to the forest every evening to tend to his duties. 

However, Jeongin stumbled across a clumsy astrology-loving man named Seungmin. He loved all things astrology, and when Jeongin showed interest in the tarot cards he was working with, their friendship blossomed. 

Seungmin had an adorable laugh as well as a charming smile. When spending time with Seungmin, Jeongin felt as if he was basking in the sunlight. He was warm and kind; he was one of the best people Jeongin had ever met. 

He took his studies seriously and always made time for Jeongin as well. It felt natural that Jeongin had taken a liking to Seungmin. He didn’t consider it to be anything more than admiration. 

Jeongin started visiting Seungmin at his home and even stayed the night. This led to him abandoning the forest. His family was angry with him when he came back one weekend after being gone for days. 

The Supreme Fae had been called to dole a punishment out to Jeongin. He knew he deserved one for abandoning his duties, but Jeongin didn’t think he had fallen in _love._

The Supreme Fae, who overlooked all the fae within the area, was cold in her judgment. It only took a few questions for her to decide he was in love. 

The next few moments sped by in a blur due to tears blocking his vision. Jeongin knew what was coming, but the curse felt viler than anything he could ever imagine. 

When the process was complete, Jeongin felt sick to his stomach. It was an awful pain that he couldn’t get rid of no matter how many deep breaths he took. All he could think about was food. 

However, he knew that his choice of food would be limited only to humans now. The Supreme Fae supplied him with a fresh corpse she had retrieved to ensure the process went smoothly. 

Jeongin was salivating by the time he was able to reach the body. His heart told him this was sick and disgusting, but his brain focused only on eating to survive. 

The first few bites that ripped off chunks of flesh and muscle were hard to choke down. It didn’t taste right. It was metallic and salty, repulsive even. Soon enough, survival took over, and Jeongin started shoveling as much as he could into his mouth. His stomach was finally unknotting, and he wasn’t in pain anymore. 

But he knew he couldn’t ever see Seungmin again. He thinks the death of love was worse than the death of his humanity. 

Jeongin left the bright man a long letter about how he had to see his family; it was a lie. He just couldn’t leave without a word, though. 

He would never be that cold to a man who brought him such warmth. 

**_Evading._ **

Changbin knew he had developed feelings for Jeongin. Something about the mysterious man drew him in, and he couldn’t stop his feelings from growing. They began to hang out more often and even started going on dates. It seemed like things were going well. 

The problem lay in his best friend, Jisung. 

They’re usually inseparable. Changbin grew up with Jisung by his side, and he wanted to continue living life with him. He truly loved Jisung. 

Whenever they’d hang out, Jisung’s usual cuddling habits started to fade. He would sometimes ditch Changbin altogether. Changbin wasn’t sure why Jisung was beginning to build a wall between them. He couldn’t get Jisung to open up about it either. 

Jisung was becoming colder to him and without an apparent reason. Changbin wanted to live life with Jisung, but had the younger started to think differently? His mind raced, and he found himself confiding in Jeongin more. 

Surprisingly, the mysterious individual gave good advice. He felt more at peace whenever their late-night conversations ended. Jeongin slowly started taking Jisung’s place as the person he’d confide in. 

Jisung was his roommate _,_ and Changbin could still go days without seeing him.

Jisung seemed to disappear off the face of the earth at times, but he would come around like his old self at random. Changbin thrived off of the few tight hugs he’s received from him within the last month. Jisung’s mental health wasn’t off because he still talked to Jinsoul and Ryujin without an issue. 

He was only evading Changbin. 

So Changbin gave him the space he wanted.

**_Starving._ **

It was a weekend. A date with Jeongin was the perfect way for Changbin to end the week. He was comfortable in his presence, and enjoyed spending time with him. Maybe soon, he will build up the courage to ask him to be his boyfriend. 

It seemed Jeongin was a bit out of it today, though. He didn’t eat much and seemed distracted during conversations. Changbin understands, though, everyone has off days. 

Hell, he’s had off days for weeks at a time. He can’t judge Jeongin for how he’s feeling. 

However, Changbin doesn’t know the internal turmoil Jeongin was facing. 

Jeongin had put off feeding for much longer than he ever had before. He fell for another human, and he wanted to feel human. 

He wanted to seek the warmth of his partner when his heart was ice cold. Jeongin wanted to praise and pleasure his partner in how they would let them so he could show his affection. 

He fell for Changbin, and he fell hard. The older was similar to Seungmin in a way. Jeongin thought they would’ve been amazing friends. However, he could never show himself around Seungmin again with a clear conscience. 

Not when he’s consumed as much darkness as he has already. 

His stomach was growing weak with starvation, and Jeongin focused on the way Changbin’s skin felt under his hands. The way Changbin smelled was enough to drive Jeongin to a dangerous place. 

He was desperate. He didn’t know if he could ever break himself of this curse. Jeongin knows that if Changbin drops him off tonight at his home _,_ Jeongin will not leave it alive. 

Jeongin had to eat before his body shut down. He’d never felt so hungry. There was no one else around. He didn’t have time to spare. Jeongin didn’t want to do it. He _couldn’t_ do it. 

He didn’t do it to Seungmin. Jeongin couldn’t do the same to Changbin. 

He needed to run, but not without a confession. 

“Changbin,” Jeongin croaked out. His voice was already beginning to fail him. The shorter stopped and turned to Jeongin. 

They both failed to notice they had an audience. Jinsoul’s meeting with her coven ended late, and she came across the two as he was coming home. She’s been suspicious of this _Jeongin_ guy since Changbin said he came out of the alley covered in blood. Jinsoul was lingering behind a newspaper container in hopes they couldn’t see her. 

“I’ve enjoyed spending time with you,” Jeongin whispered. “I didn’t think you’d hang around after how you first saw me. You never treated me differently.”

His words touched Changbin. Jeongin was holding both of Changbin’s hands tightly, staring at the difference between them. 

“You’ve made me very happy for this time we’ve known each other. As a friend, as this in-between stage, and so many other labels we could fall under. It’s a shame I haven’t met your friends, but I’m sure they’re just as lovely as you.” Jeongin needed to be sincere. He would never see Changbin again after today. 

He wanted to make this mean something. 

Jeongin’s hands trailed up to squeeze his arms a bit before stepping back. 

“I have to move, though,” Jeongin said, avoiding Changbin’s eyes. “I’m not sure if you’d want to do long distance, but I do really like you.”

Jeongin’s train of thought begins to derail. When he looked up at Changbin, he felt so many emotions overtake his body. 

Jinsoul was getting concerned from the extended silence. 

“I was going to ask you to be my boyfriend soon,” Changbin muttered. “I understand if you have to go. But you’ve made me very happy too.”

**_Avenging._ **

Jeongin couldn’t hold back the broken sobs from escaping his lips. He hadn’t heard a word after Changbin’s first sentence. He can see he’s still talking, but all he can sense is his smell. 

He’s warm. He’s in arms reach. His face is hardly recognizable to Jeongin’s current state of mind. The man in front of him slowly loses his identity, and Jeongin can only see a meal. 

He stepped forward slowly and was thrilled to see he didn’t move. The man before him must not be afraid. Jeongin touches his cheek gently with one hand and holds his shoulder with the other. The man leans into the touch. He was so warm _._

Jeongin’s grip tightened on the man’s shoulder and jaw. He heard a sound of confusion bubble up from the man’s throat. With a sudden burst of strength, Jeongin wrenched the man’s neck away from him as sharply as possible. 

The series of cracks filled his ears, followed by the soft garbling sounds that were coming from the man. In a few seconds, his body went limp, so he prepared to carry him to his usual place for a meal. He preferred to kill his meals with this type of method. Jeongin was able to keep the blood in the body until he was ready to consume it. 

Jeongin thought he heard a scream, but he was too far away mentally to hear it.

Jinsoul is the one who screamed. 

Jinsoul is the one who watched her best friend die. 

Jinsoul is the one who can never erase the image and sounds from her head.

She dug around in her purse to find her phone and promptly called the police. She knew there was no use in telling them there’s a potential life to save. Jinsoul heard the snap and knew there was no way Changbin could survive it. Even if he were just barely alive, it would cause severe brain damage due to his system’s lack of oxygen. 

The police quickly dispatched a unit to the stated location after she gave them the information. She pocketed her phone and dug through her purse once more. Jinsoul always carried mace because it wasn’t safe to walk alone at night by herself, and she knew it. 

Jinsoul wouldn’t let Jeongin escape punishment this time, fae or not. 

She ran with all her might after ditching her purse and made it to the alley where she saw Jeongin take Changbin. Jinsoul rounds the corner to see Jeongin already making major work of what _was_ Changbin’s face. 

Jinsoul could see where he used his nails to rake down his skin and face, especially picking at his eyes until they were nothing but a gelatinous substance sitting in his eye sockets. 

Jeongin must’ve noticed her presence and looked towards her. Jinsoul could see his mouth full of sharp teeth and flesh, and blood smeared all across his body. 

He darted at her with no warning, and she raised her mace to spray it in his face. Jinsoul was lucky to see Jeongin stayed directly in front of her, the weapon drenching his face in the mace. It didn’t matter if she used all of it. What mattered is that Jeongin stayed incapacitated until police arrived.

**_Mourning._ **

The police arrive a few minutes later. Jeongin had fallen to the ground in pain, and Jinsoul took the opportunity to use her body weight to keep him on the ground. She sat on his back to ensure he couldn’t go anywhere. 

It took a minute for the police to find her, but she was flashing her phone flashlight, hoping that it could catch their attention. It thankfully worked, and two officers met her as she stood up. 

“I’m Officer Kim Jongin, and this is my partner Officer Kang Seulgi.” Officer Kim flipped onto a clean page in his notepad and handed it to Officer Kang. 

“I’m going to let Kang get a quick eyewitness statement from you while a few other officers and I assess the situation.” Officer Kim said, hefting up Jeongin by his arm and pinning them behind his back. “Don’t worry. This one isn’t going anywhere. You can step out from here, so you don’t have to see this anymore.”

Jinsoul followed Officer Kang out without question. She told the officer exactly what she saw and spared no details. She didn’t quite want to admit she was coming back from a coven meeting, but it was best, to be honest. 

Just as Jinsoul could move away from the scene a bit more, she heard someone calling her name. 

“Jinsoul? What happened?” Ryujin and Jisung approached the caution tape. “We called you several times because you didn’t let us know you were home or anything. What’s happened? Are you okay?”

Jinsoul was also the one who had to tell the others what happened.

“You know how we’ve been a bit suspicious of Jeongin?” Jinsoul started calmly. She couldn’t get emotional yet. She had to stay firm so she could see Jeongin’s end. 

“Yeah,” Jisung wearily answered. 

“And how Ryujin suspects a Fae ate Yeji?” Jinsoul swallowed hard. “I saw Jeongin and Changbin coming back from a date.”

“No. No. That- It didn’t happen,” Jisung’s eyes welled up with tears as he grabbed Jinsoul’s hand. Jisung was putting the pieces together all too quickly for Jinsoul’s liking. “Please tell me he’s okay.”

Jinsoul wanted to crack. Seeing Jisung begin to fall apart without even having confirmation was enough for her heart to shatter more than it already has.

“I saw Jeongin kill Changbin,” Jinsoul’s voice cracked. “I called the police and approached Jeongin. Changbin is far from recognizable. Just how I assume Yeji was.” 

Jisung collapsed onto the concrete. He was still holding Jinsoul’s hand when a wail fell from Jisung’s mouth. Ryujin crouched down next to him and silently brushed away her tears. None of them knew Changbin as long as Jisung had. 

“I should’ve said something,” Jisung gasped for air between his sobs. Jinsoul’s heart could take no more. “I should’ve told him I loved him instead of avoiding him because he fell for Jeongin.”

“You loved him?” Ryujin didn’t seem surprised but a bit confused. 

“It was easy for me to tell,” Jinsoul said firmly. “You loved him, and it hurt you to see him go with someone else. So you distanced yourself from him so you could move on.”

“Exactly,” Jisung whispered. His shoulders shook as he continued to break down. “I should’ve been selfish for once.”

“We couldn’t have seen this coming,” Ryujin said, but it was evident she knew it was a lie. All signs did point to Jeongin being a fae when thinking about it.

“Changbin and I were supposed to take on life together,” Jisung’s voice was hoarse from the crying he had been doing. 

“Changbin will always be with you somehow,” Jinsoul said. And she believed it. She would never have to place a protection spell over Jisung because Changbin’s spirit would take care of him. She believed it with all her being. 

“I want him here with _me._ I want to hug him and tell him how much I love him,” Jisung swallowed down a sob before he tried to continue. “I want to live my life with him and do amazing things.”

“Jisung.” Jinsoul placed her hands on the sides of his face. “Changbin will always be with you. Not in the way we want him to be, but he will never leave you.”

“But I left him. He died thinking I wanted nothing to do with him. He died thinking I didn’t love him. So to him, I left him.” Jisung said. His sobbing had slowed down to a more reasonable level. 

Jinsoul turned from Ryujin and Jisung, who had collapsed into each other. 

She turned just in time to see Jeongin getting shoved into the police car. 

She lost someone important, but hopefully, no one else had to because of Jeongin’s hands.

**_Spiraling._ **

Jeongin had counted the number of screws holding the gates of his cell together and the number of tiles covering the ceiling. Jeongin didn’t eat enough the night before and remained in his delirious state. 

Jeongin had someone on watch duty outside his cell room so that he couldn’t escape. No one was inside with him. It’s for the best because he would want to eat a warm meal if it were available. He doesn’t get human food either. The police must have figured out what he is. 

Jeongin didn’t care. He was forced to waste a perfect body last night because of some girl who maced him. His eyes still burned, and he can’t see well. Just enough to count the tiles and screws once again. 

The screws felt as if they had worked their way into his brain and started unraveling his thoughts. He was stuck with nothing to do and nothing to eat. His mind wandered to the quickest way to get a meal. 

Jeongin could try and make a commotion, but they’d likely put him in a straightjacket due to his violence. He couldn’t do _anything_ then. 

Jeongin could make just enough noise that the officer would come in, and he could try and coax them closer so he could grab a bite. That could also lead to a straightjacket, though, and he’d rather not be confined in such a way.

However, he does realize there is a perfect body in the room, a healthy one that’s low in fat and lean. It’s well taken care of. 

Jeongin scans his cell for anything he can use to make life easier, but there doesn’t seem to be anything to help. He opts just to make the leap and begin feasting. 

Jeongin brings his wrist up to his mouth and tears through the skin with his teeth. It’s a bit more bitter than he’d prefer, but he wasn’t allowed a shower last night. It would still do. The skin was always chewy and elastic-like, so sometimes it was hard to get down. He kept his hand over the bed as he grabbed the water bottle he had available on the small desk in his cell and opened it. It was good to have it ready. 

The next bite was bigger and more confident. The feeling of satiety covered up the pain he was feeling. Jeongin never had a live meal before technically, so it was a new experience all around. He continued to work at his wrist until he saw bone and cartilage. It would be easy to snap off his hand at this point. 

However, Jeongin couldn’t pick the fingers clean with ease if he didn’t remove them first. It took a lot of willpower to pull his fingers back far enough to dislocate the central joint and then pick at the skin that was holding everything together. Removing the first finger felt _odd._ He’d heard of the phantom limb phenomenon and could understand how strange it was. It would be hard to use his hand at all if he could still sense a finger that wasn’t there.

When he’d finally picked off all of his fingers on one hand and placed them on the desk, he started to get dizzy. He couldn’t be clean anymore if he wanted to get full before he lost consciousness. Jeongin began to quickly pick and chew at his arm to scarf down as much as he could. He preferred skin more than muscle, so Jeongin often went for the hands and face first. He couldn’t be as picky as he would like to be at this moment.

Blood was covering the rest of his body and the bed beneath him. He even spilled some onto the floor. He didn’t want to make that big of a mess, but he was _starving._

He no longer had the strength to continue eating but reached the point of satiety. He let the dizziness take him over as he slipped into unconsciousness. Jeongin was pleased he had another warm meal.

When the next guard took over, they went in to check on Jeongin’s condition. Officer Kim and Officer Kang were the first to be notified of his death and state. They wanted him to suffer in confinement, but this would’ve been the result either way. He would’ve never survived in the system.

**_To Live._ **

To live is different for everyone. A funeral may help someone with closure, while for another, it opens unhealed wounds. A life taken too early hurts in a way that cannot be described lightly. Dying of old age or disease is different. One can prepare and come to terms with the concept of a life without their loved one. 

A life taken suddenly is shocking. There was no preparation for a new normal. Everyone moves on differently in both cases. 

Some may work themselves to the bone just to prevent emotional thoughts. They may even hide away the things that belonged to their loved ones, so they don’t have to remember. They can pretend for just a bit longer. 

Some may turn to stone. Force out all of their friends and family in fear they may leave them too. Too many deaths to grieve all at once can ruin one’s mental health. They may spiral into someone they’ve never been before. They may eventually cope just fine. 

And others learn to cope. They go through the stages of grief with ease and take life more seriously. They’re healthy and prepared to live a new normal. They will miss their loved ones, but they are now just a beautiful memory instead of a loving reality.

Ryujin. Jisung. Jinsoul. 

The three faced the funeral hand in hand. 

What comes next? They have no clue. Changbin was ripped from their lives. They feel like the very ground they stand on was pulled from beneath them. 

Ryujin blames herself for not pushing to meet Jeongin.

Jisung blames himself for not being selfish. 

Jinsoul blames herself for not seeing the signs. 

They blame themselves in silence and walk out of the church together. 

A new normal starts immediately, but what would it even be?

**_To Die._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This was not easy to write, nor edit, and I never had anyone tell me if the story itself was actually okay. I apologize if it isn't. Please know I do not condone cannibalism, this is solely a work of fiction. 
> 
> Some sections may seem a bit weird and vague, but I'm hoping it isn't enough to take away from what is there. When I am revealed as an author, I will include my socials. Please let me know if there are any errors or inconsistencies, I will fix them up quickly. Thank you for reading.


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